Creativity has got to be one of the most important skills in the world today. Take a look at any recruitment ad in the corporate world and you’ll see how much the skill is in demand. Right now all kinds of companies are looking for someone to bring a creative edge to their global operation, business strategy, product development or marketing plans. And if your CV shows you're a great problem solver and you have a creative mind, bingo, you're someone in demand.
The reason for the demand is, in the corporate world, a lot of people assume they are not creative. They say things like, 'I'm rubbish at drawing, I can't write, I don't have a creative bone in my body.' But they make the mistake in thinking these artistic skills are the key to creativity. The fact is, while many creative people do posses artistic ability, many creative thinkers do not.
People have said that Steve Jobs was a visionary creative genius; yet, can you recall ever seeing a single painting, sculpture or artistic performance created by him? Ever downloaded any of his music?
Creativity of course is intrinsic to the design and advertising industry. It is not only seen as the outcome of what we do, but it is something that is inherent within us all. It plays a part in our processes, our strategies and the way we approach what we do.
Take a look around you and you'll see our industry is packed to the rafters with creative people. There's so much creativity kicking around, amazing things are happening on an almost daily basis. So where does this creativity come from? We're all so good at being creative, is it something we were born with or have we learnt how to do it along the way?
Perhaps it's about us as people. Maybe our brains are wired differently. Maybe we're all highly courageous individuals who are prepared to take risks that others won't. Maybe our creativity was nurtured as a child. Maybe we are just shit at everything else.
And why do we believe we are creative - is it something someone once told us, or are we on some big ego trip?
I've worked with quite a lot of very talented creative people over the years. Most of them have one thing in common; they all want to do great work. And that's all they care about. They have an urge to do something better than has been done before. But where their creativity comes from, how they make the magic happen, I haven't got a clue.
I'd say for most of them their talent is instinctive. Most had been to art school where they had probably picked up a few creative skills, but their creative mind is a gift in the same way having a great voice is a gift. You either have it, or you don't.
I'm not suggesting ideas just fall out of the air. You have to do plenty of work exploring different paths, finding limitations, looking for opportunities. But it's not something you can train for, you only learn how to do it - by doing it.
John Fountain is a freelance copywriter
Follow @fountainjohn
